BaL 21.09.24 - Strauss: Don Quixote

[Pulcinella]

The 2024 post-Proms season kicks off on 21 September 2024.

1500
Building a Library

Nigel Simeone chooses his favourite version of Strauss's Don Quixote.

Don Quixote is a tone poem for cello, viola, and orchestra, subtitled Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character. It is based on the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. Strauss wrote it in 1897. The solo cello portrays Don Quixote, and the solo viola, tenor tuba, and bass clarinet represent his squire Sancho Panza. It is full of Strauss's wildly imaginative orchestration used to describe elements in the story such as an approaching army, and, at one point, the bleating of sheep.

Presto listing of currently available recordings here:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/40949--strauss-r-don-quixote-op-35/browse

Recommended version
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Antonio Janigro (cello)
Milton Preves (viola)
Fritz Reiner (conductor)
RCA Living Stereo 09026 68170-2

[smittims]

In my experience this is a lucky work, that always seems to come off well (Mahler's first and Sibelius' second are others), so there will be many equally-valid recordings. Interestingly Strauss himself recorded it twice, with Enrico Mainardi and Oswald Uhl (any relation to Fritz, I wonder). I suspect many will fall back on a favourite, in my case Janigro/Reiner .

It's often played as a concerto , a vehicle for a virtuoso, whereas I believe Strauss said it should be played by the orchestra's own principal, as primus inter pares.

[Petrushka]

This can be a difficult work to appreciate if you don't know what is going on in each variation and how superbly Strauss uses the orchestra to illustrate the episodes taken from Cervantes' novel. Once you do, then there is lots of humour contained therein, much of it laugh out loud funny.

I was incredibly lucky to have read Norman Del Mar's Strauss biography at exactly the time that the Kempe recordings first appeared (1974) and he gives a wonderful and detailed description of what is going on. There are lots of humorous orchestral effects such as the bleating of the sheep by flutter-tongueing; also when the Don is knocked to the ground there is a deep pedal point in the bass, then as Cervantes has it, he 'finds the strength of six men' six cellos suddenly jump into action.

The episode of the priests arguing religious dogma is illustrated by two bassoons waffling away. No-one can miss the episode of the flying horse nor the pizzicato water dripping off the Don after his boat sinks in the lake and a little woodwind chorale gives thanks for his deliverance.

I forget where it is now but at one point the tenor tuba (Sancho Panza) plays what looks on paper to be a downward scale but isn't quite. Strauss's little joke with the player.

There is so much in this vein going on and the humour gradually subsides as the pathos of the Don's death slowly brings down the curtain.

I wish I'd copied out NDM's analysis but the above is what I can remember from reading it 50 years ago!

[makropulos]

This can be a difficult work to appreciate if you don't know what is going on in each variation and how superbly Strauss uses the orchestra to illustrate the episodes taken from Cervantes' novel. Once you do, then there is lots of humour contained therein, much of it laugh out loud funny.

I was incredibly lucky to have read Norman Del Mar's Strauss biography at exactly the time that the Kempe recordings first appeared (1974) and he gives a wonderful and detailed description of what is going on. There are lots of humorous orchestral effects such as the bleating of the sheep by flutter-tongueing; also when the Don is knocked to the ground there is a deep pedal point in the bass, then as Cervantes has it, he 'finds the strength of six men' six cellos suddenly jump into action.

The episode of the priests arguing religious dogma is illustrated by two bassoons waffling away. No-one can miss the episode of the flying horse nor the pizzicato water dripping off the Don after his boat sinks in the lake and a little woodwind chorale gives thanks for his deliverance.

I wish I'd copied out NDM's analysis but the above is what I can remember from reading it 50 years ago!

Yes! I've got Norman Del Mar's book open on the desk in front of me at the moment. He gives the most wonderfully illuminating description of Don Quixote (Vol. 1, pp. 147–163) and I don't think anyone else has written about Strauss with such eloquence and fair-mindedness.

[Wolfram]

This must be Strauss’ cleverest work, even if you don’t believe it to be his finest orchestral masterpiece. It is a symphonic poem, a set of orchestral variations and a sinfonia concertante all at the same time. I have just listened to the last BaL winner, Zinman and the Zurich Tonhalle, which I didn’t think would have worn well, and fully expected to pass swiftly on to the likes of Karajan, Reiner and Kempe, et al. But not so; it’s a really fine performance. It has a thoroughly collaborative feel to it - both soloists were principals with the orchestra, I believe - and it is beautifully recorded to boot. I think that we are going to find that smittims is right, and that this is one of those works that has been lucky on record. Looking forward to this one.

[Petrushka]

Yes! I've got Norman Del Mar's book open on the desk in front of me at the moment. He gives the most wonderfully illuminating description of Don Quixote (Vol. 1, pp. 147–163) and I don't think anyone else has written about Strauss with such eloquence and fair-mindedness.

I got my copy from the local library (remember those?) in 1974 and so wish I'd copied out his tone poem analyses. They are brilliant!

Have to say that I've never read the Cervantes novel though I did try many years ago.

[makropulos]

I got my copy from the local library (remember those?) in 1974 and so wish I'd copied out his tone poem analyses. They are brilliant!

Have to say that I've never read the Cervantes novel though I did try many years ago.

For anybody interested there is an extremely reasonably priced copy of the complete set for £13.99 at the hospicecareshop on eBay. Dustwrappers a bit tatty, but it looks pretty sound and they're not ex-library books. Listing here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387292298317?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQ jw 28W2BhC7ARIsAPerrcKgfm7Cdv1Jst8_JTvrMXtOiABcwW4wlq _O-2LaURQMGHQpkyRFsyAaAobNEALw_wcB

[oliver sudden]

There is an anecdote concerning Del Mar conducting an orchestra including Jack Brymer on first clarinet. Supposedly Del Mar asked Brymer to do something different with the very last solo and asked why he was playing it the way he was. The response was “because Strauss told me to, and I’m surprised you’ve forgotten because you were playing second horn at the time”.

(The strange thing there is, I have heard an anecdote of Strauss telling Brymer not to take the mezzo forte of the last solo too seriously, and I have also heard the above anecdote with Del Mar allegedly saying to Brymer “why are you playing it mezzo forte?”. But that’s how anecdotes are I suppose.)

Anyway my personal favourite is indeed the Beecham with Tortelier, made just after he had conducted it for Strauss. Although Tortelier with Kempe runs it pretty close.

[HighlandDougie]

Although Tortelier with Kempe runs it pretty close.

About the one work of Strauss which I really like - and probably my favourite recording is the Kempe/BPO/Tortelier.

[Pulcinella]

In case Alison is wondering.....

The BBC MM offering (Volume 7, Number 1) is with Tim Hugh (cello), Paul Silverthorne (viola), and the LSO, under André Previn.
A live recording from the Barbican on 15 June 1995.

[Barbirollians]

Tortelier’s recordings are splendid but I remain smitten by the off air Du Pre/Boult

[smittims]

It's a pity Sir Adrian wasn't asked to record more Strauss, a composer he admired and met on several occasions.

[richardfinegold]

I got my copy from the local library (remember those?) in 1974 and so wish I'd copied out his tone poem analyses. They are brilliant!

Have to say that I've never read the Cervantes novel though I did try many years ago.

The Cervantes is very long. I first encountered the Strauss simultaneously with reading a few chapters of it in Spanish while taking that language in High School.. Our teacher , who was wonderful , played a few excerpts from the Strauss in class one day. I think he also played us a few songs from Man of La ManchaI . I enjoyed the musical depictions so much more than struggling with the Spanish text.
I bought the Szell/Cleveland lp at that time and per Petrushka the performance is crystal clear about the events being depicted. The bleating sheep, the Friars being attacked, the wind machine, all marvelous. And the beautiful ending where the Don has a brief moment of lucidity before dying is so moving without being cloying.
I read the English translation of the Cervantes many years later. Except for the ending most of the events Strauss depicted are in the first few chapters. And a great deal of it is slapstick, lol material.
The same Spanish teacher also spent a day in class showing us his Kodachrome slides of his trip to the Alhambra in Granada and played the first movement of Falla Nights In The Garden of Spain.
That created a life long dream to see it myself and I finally achieved that in 2013. Forgive the digression

[makropulos]

It's a pity Sir Adrian wasn't asked to record more Strauss, a composer he admired and met on several occasions.

I do so agree. There are the four orchestral songs he did with Dame Janet, and the accidental Don Quixote with du Pré – both of which reveal an extremely sympathetic Straussian. Philip Stuart's discography lists a 3-minute fragment from Also sprach with the BBCSO from 1937, the Oboe Concerto with Leon Goossens (live in 1947 – apparently complete), and another fragment of Also sprach (2 mins) with the BBCSO from 1948, The Horn Concerto No. 1 with Dennis Brain is on ICAC5159 (a set called Great Soloists from the Richard Itter Archive) and there's an off-air performance of the Horn Concerto No. 2 from the 1966 Tanglewood Festival with William Lane (a copy of which I have). But as far as I know, that's the lot.

[oliver sudden]

The Cervantes is very long. I first encountered the Strauss simultaneously with reading a few chapters of it in Spanish while taking that language in High School.. Our teacher , who was wonderful , played a few excerpts from the Strauss in class one day. I think he also played us a few songs from Man of La ManchaI . I enjoyed the musical depictions so much more than struggling with the Spanish text.
I bought the Szell/Cleveland lp at that time and per Petrushka the performance is crystal clear about the events being depicted. The bleating sheep, the Friars being attacked, the wind machine, all marvelous. And the beautiful ending where the Don has a brief moment of lucidity before dying is so moving without being cloying.
I read the English translation of the Cervantes many years later. Except for the ending most of the events Strauss depicted are in the first few chapters. And a great deal of it is slapstick, lol material.
The same Spanish teacher also spent a day in class showing us his Kodachrome slides of his trip to the Alhambra in Granada and played the first movement of Falla Nights In The Garden of Spain.
That created a life long dream to see it myself and I finally achieved that in 2013. Forgive the digression

I had a go at the Cervantes some years ago when a much-praised new translation came out. I managed to get all the way through the first book but then motivation slackened off and various bits of life got in the way. I am amused to read here that Strauss probably didn’t get any further than I did! (Although he seems to have skipped to the end, which I would NEVER do, goodness gracious me.)

For me this is like Heldenleben and Alpensinfonie (the pieces not the forum members). The pictures are all very nice but it’s the moments where the pictures run out (the Don’s vigil and the epilogue) that really make the piece something extraordinary and that set the great conductors of it apart from the rest.